US President Donald Trump said his administration is considering reducing the number of US troops stationed in Germany and will make a decision "shortly".
"The United States is considering reducing the number of troops in Germany and a decision on this matter will be made soon", he wrote on Truth Social.
The statement comes at a time of strained relations between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The dispute is related to Merz's criticism of the US strategy in the war against Iran and Germany's lack of support for security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump continues to insist that European allies, and Germany in particular, are not paying their "fair share" for defense. In his speeches, he mentioned that countries that do not allocate 5% of GDP to defense should not have the right to vote in NATO.
An option is being discussed to move bases and troops from Germany to countries considered more loyal allies, such as Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Greece.
By the end of 2025, more than 36,000 US troops were stationed in Germany on active duty, with the country hosting the largest US military presence in Europe.
This is not Trump's first attempt at such an action; at the end of his first term in 2020, he ordered the withdrawal of 9,500 troops, but the plan was canceled by the Biden administration in 2021.